Last week, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, attacking his Executive Order seeking to ban the sale of internal combustion engines in the state by 2035. In his letter, Wheeler noted that the EPA has revoked the waiver allowing California to enforce its zero-emissions vehicle program, and the state would have to obtain a new one to enforce any regulation related to Newsom’s order. EPA Administrator Wheeler wrote that, “while the EO seems to be mostly aspirational and on its own would accomplish very little, any attempt by the California Air Resources Board to implement sections of it may require California to request a waiver to U.S. EPA.”
Later in the week, California officials sent a scathing response to EPA Administrator Wheeler's criticisms of Governor Newsom's order, saying the agency has engaged in “baseless mistruths” and accusing it of abdicating its responsibilities to humanity.
On Tuesday, RCRC staff penned a letter to Governor Newsom outlining RCRC’s concerns with the implementation of the EO, particularly as it applies to electric vehicle usage and charging infrastructure deployment in rural California. In the letter, RCRC also posed a handful of questions that will be vital for the Administration to address regarding plans to convert California’s vehicle fleet to 100 percent zero emission vehicles.